Adoption Facilitator

Adoption facilitators work with women considering adoption or families who want to adopt a child. Adoption facilitators are generally small companies who have staff who act as the intermediary between the adoptive family and birth family. Good adoption facilitators are able to locate pregnant women, but they are not able to perform adoption services. They also may or may not have the skills to educate and guide birth mothers through the adoption process.

Who hires adoption facilitators?

Clients who work with adoption facilitators generally have a high and flexible budget, want to reduce the wait time for an adoption, are willing to be involved at each stage of the adoption process, are concerned about the gender of the child, want control of the counseling and legal process of the adoption process, and may want to be involved with counseling the birth parents themselves.

Adoption facilitators may not be regulated

Critics of adoption facilitators note there is not currently an independent government body reviewing adoption facilitators and their procedures. These critics would also suggest it is a good idea to use adoption agency instead of a facilitator because the adoption agency must follow national and state adoption regulations.

Proponents of adoption facilitators would argue, however, that facilitators can help many families considering adoption.

Understand your state laws regarding adoption facilitators

State laws vary in regards to using an adoption facilitator. It is important that you understand the roles and regulations for your state. For example, some states or adoption agencies may not negotiate an adoption if a facilitator is involved.

As mentioned above, the adoption facilitators are not regulated, and while this may eliminated some bureaucratic red tape, it also may allow for some facilitators to scam adoptive families or charge much more than their advertised rates.

Adoption facilitators may also not have the skills or resources to provide the services needed by the adoptive family or the birth mother during the adoption. For example, they may not offer any medical services to the birth mother or support for the adoptive family. They also may not be available to help either party after the birth mother has been located and the adoption facilitation fee has been paid.